Hatnua Minister: Terror Release Painful, but Bearable

Minister Amir Peretz, former Prime Minsiter hopeful, who left Labor to join Tzipi Livni's newly-formed Hatnua party before the last elections, said that freeing terrorists exacts a painful price, but will have no strategic effect on the state of Israel.

Peretz added that PA head Mahmoud Abbas is a strong leader who has succeeded in preserving quiet in Judea and Samaria, while cooperating with Israel's security forces. In a Voice of Israel radio interview, he emphasized that the Palestinian situation forces Israel to initiate and lead political moves.